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Home > Family > Child Climbs on Museum Sculpture Worth $10 Million and Parents Have an Intriguing Reaction

Child Climbs on Museum Sculpture Worth $10 Million and Parents Have an Intriguing Reaction

by Nicole Stevens on February 04, 2014

Nicole Stevens

About the Author

Nicole Stevens is a 30-something mom of four adorable kids. Her passions include spending time with her babies and doing research in the laboratory. She also enjoys crafts, photography, crochet, reading, and long walks. Her work has appeared elsewhere on WhattoExpect.com.

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

A child in London may have the dubious distinction of being the only person in the world to climb on a Donald Judd sculpture worth $10 million. Granted, the statue does look like a very fancy set of recessed shelving. But still. The idea of a child using one-of-a-kind art as a climbing frame is startling.

The little girl's parents were not with her at the time, according to an article in Huh Magazine. She had been accompanied through the museum by her aunt and uncle when a fellow museum-goer tweeted a photo of little Sissi Belle happily perched between two slats of the sculpture as her aunt and uncle look on.

Sissi's parents later admitted in an interview that their daughter's actions weren't right. But then they went on to justify her every way they could. Sissi was just curious, they said. She didn't mean any harm. She is obsessed with art and was enticed by this particular piece. She has climbed on many other statues. And Sissi has always been anti-establishment. (The last one is my particular favorite. Does a nine-year-old even know what that means?)

Some of the commenters on this news story agree with the parents: Art is meant to be interactive. The little girl didn't hurt the museum sculpture, and she obviously had an emotional reaction to it, so wasn't she just expressing her appreciation in the most tactile way possible?

I'm not so sure. Oh, I don't doubt that the sculpture elicited a response from the little girl. I have two daughters who are driven to climb everything, too. And I am all about encouraging children to explore their interests and engage in sensory experiences as much as possible. But surely there's an appropriate time and place for everything. Playground? Good for climbing. Kids' museum? Good for climbing. Art museum? Not so good for climbing.

I don't think these parents deserve the harsh criticism they're receiving now that their story has gone viral; however, I do believe that one of the most important tasks for a parent is teaching children about the rules of society. It's easy to forget sometimes that kids aren't born knowing the social practices that govern our behavior. A parent's job is to guide kids through that minefield of what to do (and not do) in various situations.

It may sound silly, but my husband and I sit down with our kids and tell them exactly what to expect in new situations or settings. We describe some of the things they may see and experience, and chat with them about what is appropriate. I remember doing this the first time we went to a museum. Okay, guys, you're going to see a lot of cool stuff. But you need to just use your eyes for the displays because the things are there for everyone to enjoy so we need to NOT TOUCH so they can stay nice. We'll talk about what we see and Mommy will show you where the kids' part of the museum is so you can touch things there.

Well, my kids may have been tempted to climb on the shiny, priceless sarcophagus of King Tut, but they didn't even try (thank goodness!). They knew that wasn't okay.

I don't doubt that the parents of this little girl have given her a great education in art and culture, as they claim. But there's another very important side of a well-rounded education: social decorum.

A nine-year-old is probably mature enough to learn how we should behave around art exhibits. Until a child can understand that, there are plenty of interactive art exhibits that encourage sensory participation. In traditional galleries, like the Tate Modern in London where this story occurred, there needs to be respect for the artists, for the creations, and for the countless other people who want to enjoy a sculpture… preferably without a child wedged into it.

What do you think of this story? Should kids be allowed to "experience" art however they choose, or should there be clear boundaries? Share thoughts below!